"Sorry," Rose said sheepishly. "They must put something in the water. Promise me, if I ever talk like that again you'll check my basement for the pod."
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers," Dani called out. Ah, her brain and mouth were finally getting back online.
"Hello, ladies. I noticed you struggling through class. You really shouldn't let yourselves go. After all, you are pushing thirty."
And the perfect ending to a killer workout? Jilly Underwood, town snark. There were just some people you would never get along with, and Jilly managed to be that person for Dani, Rose, and Tyler. Attractive and overindulged by wealthy parents, she saw herself as Harper Falls fairest of the fair. To her, the three friends were her competition. It was even more frustrating that none of the women she considered to be her chief rivals ever gave Jilly a second thought. It was hard to lord your perfection over people who, at best, thought you were a minor annoyance.
"And what are you pushing these days, Jilly? Last time I checked, we were all the same age."
"Yes." Jilly ran a hand across her toned abdomen. "But I have genetics and—"
"Collagen injections? Liposuction?"
"Dedication and discipline on my side." She continued on as though she hadn't heard Tyler's jabs, but the little tick in her corner of her eye said otherwise. Tyler was proud of her contribution to that tick. Years of knocking Jilly down a few pegs had really paid off.
"Well, you've got us, Jilly. You are officially the queen of the Hot Yoga class. Sorry I don't have anything to crown you with."
"Oh, you think you're so clever." Jilly rounded on Rose. "All those ridiculous songs you write, everyone acting like that takes so much talent."
"Well…"
"And you." Jilly pointed her red manicured finger at Dani. "Running around with that stupid camera, Oh, I'm a photographer, my pictures have been in Time magazine."
"Do I sound like that?" Dani asked Tyler.
"Your voice is much lower."
"And you."
"Oh, good," Tyler grinned. "It's my turn."
"What right do you have to be so smug. Those lumps of crap that you call art? You couldn't even hold on to Drew Harper when you had the chance."
"Careful, Jilly," Dani warned.
"Well, I don't care. You can all take your fabulous friendship and exciting lives and eat dirt. I have a new man in my life that tops any of the sad losers you attract. And there he is now."
Jilly waved at a tall, dark haired man who was in the reception area. It was difficult to see much of his face—his eyes were covered with sunglasses—but he appeared to be fairly young and attractive.
"Eat your hearts out, girls."
"What set her off?" Rose asked as they watched the other woman bounce across the room and throw herself into her boyfriend's arms.
"I don't know. She found us breathing?" Dani speculated. It never took much where Jilly was concerned. "And I imagine she's still pissed that you stole Jack from her red-clawed grasp."
"Then she truly is delusional," Rose scoffed. "She was a never ran and didn't even know it."
"The deterioration of her brain cells started early with all that spray she used to lacquer her hair with. The fumes destroyed any reasonable thought. The yoga has just completed the job."
"Did either of you notice how that guy was looking over Jilly's shoulder at us? More specifically, at you, Dani?"
Dani sat up and looked over, but the couple was gone.
"Are you sure?" she asked Rose.
"Maybe. No," Rose said firmly. "Jack always says go with your instincts. I say he had his eye on Dani. Now, it could just be that he suddenly developed better taste in women."
"Normally I would say let Jilly's creepy boyfriend look to his heart's content, as long as he kept his hand to himself." Dani frowned. "But those damn bugs have put me on high alert." She waved, getting Boyd's attention and signaling him over.
"Did you notice that tall man with the sunglasses? He just left a few minutes ago."
"The one with the bleached blonde stick on his arm? Sure, why?" Boyd's rugged face lost all softness. "Did he try something with one of you ladies? I was sure I'd never let you out of my sight."
"No, we're fine. Rose felt he was keeping an eye on me. I just thought better safe than sorry."
"And that's the attitude that keeps people alive, Dani. I'm going to call Alex. I'll sit down with a sketch artist and then we can run that through H&W's facial recognition program." He took out his phone, walking a few feet away.
"Call Jack instead," Dani told him.
Boyd just gave her a are you kidding me look and dialed.
"Alex had an early session with his psychologist, today," Dani explained. "He always calls when he gets back." She quickly checked her phone—nope, nothing. "I don't see why Boyd can't wait until he's back at H&W before he calls him."
"Because he knows Alex would tear him a new one if he did."
Rose was right. Dani collapsed onto her back with a huff.
"I had no idea it was so serious," Tyler said, grabbing Dani's hand and squeezing. "Why didn't you tell me? And you?" she turned to Rose. "Jack must have kept you in the loop."
"Hey," Dani said, giving a reassuring squeeze back. "There's no loop, really. Besides my constant companion, Boyd, who you already knew about, there hasn't been anything to tell. And I doubt there is now. I'm just doing what Alex would want me to do—stay smart. I didn't expect Boyd to go all Mission: Impossible on me."
"Now that was Tom Cruise in prime form," Rose stated, lightening the mood.
"Good movie," Tyler agreed.
"Though I loved the second one, Dougray Scott made a yummy villain."
Dani let her friends talk, debating the merits of all four Mission movies. The twists and turns. She just hoped as villains went, she hadn't just seen her own.
"DOES HE LOOK familiar?"
Alex turned his head to various angles, stood farther back, then closer. He even tried squinting. Nothing helped.
"Not a bit."
He had just been pulling into town when Boyd called. Alex told him to keep Dani and her friends where they were until he got there, which being Harper Falls took all of five minutes. After assuring himself that everyone was fine, he and Boyd casually interviewed some of the club members and staff who had seen the man. In the end, the descriptions were pretty much the same and pretty general. Boyd's recollection was the most detailed and Alex wanted to get him with a sketch artist as soon as possible while the face was still fresh in his mind.
"I know a guy in Spokane. If he's not busy, he should be able to get here within the hour."
"Call him." Alex was about to contact Jack when he saw Dani waving, trying to get his attention.
"Did you remember something else?"
"No, but you forgot something." She looked at Tyler. "Do you want to tell him, or shall I?"
"He's your guy," Tyler shrugged. "I don't know him well enough yet to call him an idiot."
Impatiently, Alex sighed. He didn't have time for cryptic crap from the dynamic trio.
"Dani, if you have something to tell me…" And then it hit him. Well, okay, he was an idiot.
"And the light dawns," Tyler said with a grin.
"You're an artist." No harm in stating the obvious.
"And damn good one, if I do say so myself."
"Oh, I concur," Dani nodded.
"Me, too."
"Well, thank you, Rose. You too, Dani." Taking pity on him, Tyler turned to Alex, this time completely serious. "Not only can I get Boyd's description down on paper, but I saw the guy too. I'm your witness and sketch artist all rolled into one."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"I can do the initial drawing in just a few minutes. Then, I'll work with Boyd to get his input. Rose and Dani can add their impressions. Probably an hour, hour and a half."
Alex picked her up and gave her a big hug. Then he moved to Rose and did the same.
"You have pretty gr
eat friends," he said, adding a kiss to Dani's hug.
"They're your friends, too. If you want them."
"A package deal?"
"No," she assured him, then thought again. "Okay, yes. But I would hope that any man that I had good enough taste to like would also have good taste and like my friends."
Alex looked over at Rose and Tyler then back at Dani.
"I'd say any man fortunate enough to be in your life would be an idiot not to embrace the entire package."
"You are not an idiot."
"No," he assured her, "I'm not."
Four hours later he was in Jack's office staring at the composite picture Tyler had done. Alex wasn't surprised at the detail; the drawing was first rate. With everyone's help, they had the closest thing they could get to a straight up photograph, but to his frustration, the face of the man looking back at him rang no bells.
"Plastic surgery is always a possibility," Jack said with a frown.
"True, and if you're in a hurry and not terribly worried about competence or sanitary conditions, there are several clinics in South America that will do the work—no questions asked."
Tyler had done two sketches. In one, the man was wearing sunglasses, the way he had appeared at the health club. In the other she left the glasses off. The shape and size of the eyes were an estimate, but in Alex's opinion, a damn good one. She had an artist's perspective, so she was able to visualize, use the rest of the man's face to make an educated guess at what they hadn't been able to see. Of course, plastic surgery would have altered that to some extent, but he was confident they had an accurate composite. If he saw this man on the street, he would recognize him instantly.
"Everything is ready." Drew had been working to set up the facial recognition program, making sure it was a go as soon as they had the drawing. It had taken some doing to get all the government agencies on board, but Jack and Drew had connections and high-security clearances. Getting permission had been relatively straight forward; what took the time was waiting for a government representative to arrive. The main condition attached to this whole operation had been the insistence that one of their people had to be present. Alex hadn't been happy about the delay, but it had given Tyler time to polish her drawing, something the artist in her had appreciated.
"Finally." Alex felt like they had been waiting days instead of hours.
"This man does not have clearance. I'm going to have to insist that he stay out of the room while the program is running."
"That's ridiculous," Jack protested. "There isn't going to be any sensitive material on display."
"Be that as it may, I have strict orders. The three of us are allowed in the room, no one else. Otherwise, permission will be rescinded."
"Alex?"
Alex looked at Agent Jeremiah Pound. FBI through and through, he had been surprisingly cooperative from the moment he arrived. He knew who Alex was, or rather who he had been.
When he'd realized the government would have to be involved with this operation, Alex's first instinct had been to tell Drew not to mention his name. He hadn't wanted anything to prevent them from getting the go ahead. He knew keeping something like that out of the initial request could backfire, eventually shutting them down altogether. When permission came through so quickly, he'd thought they'd dodged a bullet. And they had. Alex's presence hadn't stopped anything. However, it was apparent from the look Agent Pound was giving him that the man knew at least part of his story. Which part, or how much, was hard to say. But Pound's less than friendly demeanor told him it probably wasn't the good part.
"It's fine, Jack," he told his friend. "From here on out it's just wait and see. I have other things I can be taking care of."
"I'll let you know the minute we get a result."
"No, absolutely not."
"I beg your pardon?" Drew asked, turning to Agent Pound. His least favorite part of this business was working with the feds. Too much paperwork, too many self-important assholes. It had made him and Jack very rich men so he'd learned to deal. What he wouldn't put up with was a black suit coming into his place and telling them what they could and couldn't do.
"If the man in the drawing is in the data banks, it will have to be determined how to proceed from there. This man is expressly forbidden to have anything to do with that."
Jack and Drew began to argue, Alex didn't bother. Agent Pound had been given his orders, there was no room for negotiation. The man was just doing his job, a job that Alex had done a similar version of more than once.
"Jack, Drew," he interrupted. "Don't waste your breath or time. Find the guy, that's all that matters."
Alex didn't bother to go back to his office, instead opting for the lounge across from the reception area. Any work he tried to do would in all likelihood have to be redone. His brain was focused on what was going on three doors down and on worrying about Dani.
From the moment he had gotten Boyd's call until he'd been banished from Drew's office, his focus had been on action. Now that participation wasn't an option, he let himself think about just how close this guy had been to Dani and her friends. It didn't matter that this could turn out to be one big overreaction. As far as he was concerned, if it meant keeping her safe, he would always err on the side of caution. If it turned out this guy was just admiring a pretty spectacular view? Fine. Non-crisis averted.
But what about the next time and the next? His instincts told him those bugs that were put in Dani's loft had something to do with him, with his past. He planned on getting to the bottom of it. After that it would be time for a new mindset. He didn't want to always be looking for trouble around every corner. He and Dani deserved a life devoid of constant drama and anxiety. He was determined to make that happen.
"Hey, soldier. How about joining me for a pool party."
Dani. Just seeing her made his heart lighter. She was decked out like she had just stepped out of a movie with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. High waisted retro bikini, pink with yellow polka dots. He did love polka dots. Cat eye sunglasses and her ponytail high on her head and tied up with a pink scarf. She had the attitude down to perfection, though Alex suspected she had been born with that.
"Where do you get that stuff?" he asked, taking in the wicker tote that sported a sassy poodle and some kind of cover up that had been popular half a century ago.
"It's called the internet. You should try it. They have these websites where you can order anything your heart desires. Now." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Stop worrying about my shopping habits and come along for some fun under the artificial sun."
"Jack called you."
"I'm not the only one with very good friends."
"He's your friend, too," he said, reminding her of what she'd told him earlier that day.
Dani stopped at the hidden elevator, turning into his embrace. She looked up, a warm smile on her face.
"And aren't we the lucky ones for having them."
Dani was the sun, nothing artificial about her. And he was the lucky one, no doubt about it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
A TEMPEST IN a teapot. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Let the quotes keep on coming. What it amounted to was they still didn't know the identity of Jilly Underwood's mystery boyfriend or what if anything, his interest was in Dani.
Dani had just arrived back at H&W after going home to change and stopping on the way back to pick up the daily special from Pansy's Diner. Tonight's offerings? Beef stroganoff and green salad. The pool party, guest list exclusive to just the two of them, had been just what he'd needed, Dani the perfect distraction. By the time she had left, Alex was relaxed enough to take the results of the facial recognition scan with something close to calm resignation.
Alex had debated with Jack and Drew how much to tell Dani. The conversation hadn't lasted long because the answer was a no-brainer. She had to be kept in the loop, her safety depended on it. That and the fact that Alex didn't want any new secrets. Anything in the pa
st had to stay there, but from now on, he would try to be an open book. So the three men agreed; tell her what they knew even though it wasn't much.
"So we're back to square one?" Dani asked after he'd briefed her.
"Nope, we are several squares ahead, though not nearly as far as I would have hoped."
He seated Dani at the table he'd set up in his office. The cafeteria seemed too impersonal when it was just the two of them. This was much more intimate.
"But today was a bust," Dani said as she poured him a glass of red wine. "Even the guy you set on Jilly came up empty. Her boyfriend was nowhere to be found."
"We'll keep watching her. But I can tell you from experience, the government is way more interested in this guy than they're letting on."
"What makes you think so?"
"How quickly they responded. There was something about this that ticked somebody's box. If it hadn't, we could have been left waiting until the we were too old to care before they got through the protocol and paperwork usually associated with something like this."
"But it wasn't just the man, it was also because of you. Which means," she continued before he could respond one way or the other, "you're the one in danger, not me."
"Sometimes your brain is too fast for my own good." Alex shrugged. "Okay, it's always been probable that I'm the target."
"Target?" Dani gulped.
"An unfortunate turn of phrase. You pick one you like."
"Not target." She thought for a moment. "Though why sugar coat it?"
"I'm not going to." Alex reached over and smoothed the worry lines from between her eyebrows. "I plan on pushing my Army contacts a bit harder, and I plan on finding that man. Okay?"
"Okay," Dani nodded.
Putting it aside and changing the subject suited them both. There were much more pleasant ways to spend an evening. They were together and alone. If they couldn't find better things to do with their time, they weren't trying very hard.
Alex took a bite of succulent beef surrounded by sour creamy goodness and sighed.
"Yummy, isn't it?"
"Do they make anything that's not?"
If Tomorrow Never Comes (Harper Falls Book 2) Page 25
